San Francisco Jazz Festival boasts international flair

One of the things that the two share in common, however, is that Americans are no longer the only ones playing them _ and playing them quite well. The South Koreans won the gold and the Cubans took home the silver in baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics, while the U.S. finished with the bronze.

Likewise, the battle for supremacy in the jazz world is getting hot and heavy. The Americans, no doubt, are still in the lead, but the race is clearly getting tighter all the time.

What we are seeing is the globalization of Americaâ€™s music. It may have born in New Orleans and raised in the clubs of such cities as New York and Chicago, as many historians have noted, but itâ€™s maturing in places all around the world.

Thankfully, you donâ€™t need an airline reservation to get a proper earful of whatâ€™s brewing in jazz on an international level _ all you need is some tickets for the San Francisco Jazz Festival. The 26th annual affair, scheduled for Oct. 3-Nov. 9 mostly at venues in San Francisco, features an amazing assortment of jazz musicians from around the world.
The artists _ such as Malian kora master Toumani Diabate, Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski and Russian-born vocalist Sophie Milman _ are not household names in this country. Yet, the music that they make might be enough to alter the U.S.-centric views of jazz for some listeners.

â€œI think most peopleâ€™s perception is that jazz is an American art form and that most of great jazz music is made by American artists,â€ says Randall Kline, executive director for festival presenters, SFJAZZ. â€œBut that perception is shifting. Itâ€™s not that there havenâ€™t always been significant (international) jazz artists, itâ€™s just that thereâ€™s a lot more now.â€

Some countries have been fertile ground for jazz for decades. Americans are familiar with some of the bigger-name artists from South American and the Caribbean, especially Cuba, following the success of the â€œBuena Vista Social Clubâ€ film and soundtrack. Other regions, like the Middle East and Eastern Europe, have seen their jazz scenes flourish in recent years.

Kline believes that social and political changes in those areas, which have allowed artists more freedom to express themselves through music, have greatly factored into the equation.

â€œJazz truly is a music about change and freedom,â€ he says. â€œJazz is one of those modern art forms that reflect the times that you live in. When thereâ€™s social unrest, you hear that in the music.â€

The inclusion of international jazz artists on the schedule is nothing new for SFJAZZ. Itâ€™s long been one of the organizationâ€™s calling cards, one of the many things that separate the San Francisco Jazz Festival (as well as SFJAZZâ€™s Spring Season offering) from some other jazz festivals.

â€œThis festival really reflects what is happening in jazz, in terms of traditional or iconoclastic, as well as international trends,â€ says Luis Medina, music director at Berkeleyâ€™s listener-funded radio station, KPFA 94.1 FM.

Another SFJAZZ trademark is the organizationâ€™s willingness to present kinds of music that might cause some jazz purists to balk.

â€œFrom Day One, weâ€™ve always had a pretty wide open view to what jazz is,â€ Kline says. â€œWeâ€™ve always been interested in international music that has been influenced by jazz or has influenced jazz.â€

While presenting international jazz is one of SFJAZZâ€™s specialties, itâ€™s certainly not unique to them _ especially not in the Bay Area. For example, a look at the upcoming schedules of the two Yoshiâ€™s clubs, in Oakland and in San Francisco, reveals a number of tantalizing artists with roots outside the U.S.

â€œEurope has a great jazz scene,â€ remarks Peter Williams, Yoshiâ€™s artistic director. â€œOne of the most exciting is the Dutch scene _ they do cutting-edge music, and their government is very supportive.

â€œI have been to Amsterdam several times to check out Dutch bands at the Dutch Jazz Meeting. One of the highlights of the 2006 DJM was Eric Vloeimans and Fugimundi. They will be here Oct. 13, in Oakland. One of the most well known of the Dutch bands is the Willem Breuker Kollektief, and they will be at Yoshiâ€™s SF Nov. 10.â€

Location, as they say, matters. Everyone seems to agree that arts organizations have the ability to present shows in a cosmopolitan, multi-cultural and well-educated place like the Bay Area that might not go over well in other spots in the country.

â€œWe want to serve the world that we are in _ the Bay Area,â€ Kline says. â€œAnd the Bay Area is very interested in these kinds of (international) music.â€

For proof, Kline mentions the festivalâ€™s opening night concert featuring the â€œMiles from Indiaâ€ ensemble. He says that the Bay Area is â€œone of the few markets in the country that can present thatâ€ _ and SFJAZZ is now presenting it for the second time in mere months. The first Miles from India show – which, like the record of the same name, features jazz artists and Indian classical musicians interpreting the music of Miles Davis â€“ was a sell-out during SFJAZZâ€™s Spring Season.

The second offering will be held Oct. 3 at Davies Symphony Hall and Kline says itâ€™s not to be missed.

â€œThere are parts of that record that are some of the best music Iâ€™ve heard in years,â€ he says. â€œThe record is just phenomenal.â€